What I did in 5 hours....

Have you ever had one of those nights when you get so much done in a short amount of time that you surprise yourself? That is exactly what I did tonight. It is now 10 at night and so far I have...gone to the grocery store, went for a run, baked a cake, made home made soup for dinner and have done my pre cleaning crew prep. Wow!

So the cake I made is at test run for something new to take to the tail gate on Saturday (Go BUCKS!!!) I have seen this recipe in multiple places so I thought I'd give a try.

Here is what you will need.

It is a box of devils food cake baked to the direction on the back in a 13x9 pan.

Right out of the oven poke holes in the cake.

Heat a jar of caramel sauce (the kind you put on ice cream)in the microwave for 30 seconds and poor over the cake.

Let cool in the refrigerator for 2 hours then icing the cake with a container of Whipped topping and sprinkle with Heath bar pieces that you can find next to the chocolate chips at the grocery store.

Please do not mind the piece that is missing.....hubster and I had to give it a try. The left overs are going to work tomorrow. So far I think we have a definite G.O. for the tail gate Saturday!

I made tortellini soup for dinner. You can find the recipe here.

And just to clarify what the pre cleaning crew prep is, every other week we have some one come clean our house......totally indulgent but with our schedules it is a life saver. There is just a certain amount of prep that I have to do before they come.

Well off to bed for me! T.G.I.F!

What a great evening!

Cold day dinner.

Tortellini Soup:
1-2 Large carrots
2 Stalks of celery
1 Medium onion
1 Bag cheese tortellini
2 32 oz Containers of chicken stock
1 Clove of garlic
1-2 bay leaves
2-3 red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Boneless skinless chicken breast Coat bottom of pan with olive oil. Add chopped garlic and red pepper flakes. Heat to infuse the oil.

Add carrots, celery, onion and chicken. All should be chopped into small pieces. This will allow a quick cook time. Saute until chicken is cooked through. Onion will become translucent.

Pour chicken broth into pot.
Bring to a boil, cover and continue until veggies are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add tortellini and cook until done. Aprox 7-8 mins.

We like to serve ours with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top.

And some of these on the side.

Enjoy!

TGIF and Cupcakes

I need to start by giving a quick update......thank God the word on Harper keeps getting better and better. Last I read on Kelly's blog Harper was at 43% oxygen!!! God is good!

I love Fridays! I don't know that they are my favorite day of the week. I don't know if I really have a favorite day, but I enjoy Fridays A LOT!!! The whole weekend is ahead of you. I think this is going to be a low key weekend. Hubby is S.I.C.K. it's just a cold but it is still enough to make the pep in his step a little lacking. We have plans to meet some friends and their Kiddos for dinner tomorrow night, beyond that......the days will be spent doing whatever I want. That is my favorite part of Fridays. It is the kick off to days of doing whatever I want.

And now for a little creating.
I can't claim these completely. I got the idea off of a Betty Crocker web site and changed it up a bit. There is a low cal and a bit "healthier" version of these as well, but with it being Friday I thought the "classic" recipe was called for. These are one of my most requested desserts. Enjoy!

Raspberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes

1 box yellow cake mix.

1 8 oz container of sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

2 eggs

3 tablespoons (aprox) Smuckers Raspberry Simply Fruit

1 3 oz package of cream cheese cut into 24 pieces

1 container of cream cheese frosting

Fresh raspberries

-Heat oven to 350

-Place paper baking cups into 24 regular size muffin cups

-Mix

Cake mix

Sour cram

Oil

Water

Eggs

with a spoon until blended. It will be thick.

-Divide batter among cups evenly.

-Stir the Simply fruit in a small bowl until smooth.

-Place 1 piece of cream cheese on top of each cupcake. Push down slightly.

-Spoon 1/4 teaspoon of simply fruit on top of each piece of cream cheese.

- Bake 18 t0 24 minutes or until tops are golden and spring back when touched lightly. Some of the simply fruit may show, but you will cover it with frosting.

-Frost cupcakes and garnish with a fresh raspberry.

Have a happy Friday!

Hugs,

Jenn